Stowaway Who Fell From Sky Raises Security Fears

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

Travel Motto: “Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” –Terry Pratchett

Want to receive stories like this every day? Subscribe to our free Deal Alert newsletter!

Last month, the body of a 16-year-old boy landed in Milton, Massachusetts. Yes: landed, as if it had fallen from the sky. Investigators posited that the boy may have fallen from a plane, but the idea seemed far-fetched. But not too far-fetched, it seems, to be true.

Authorities now believe the boy, Delvonte Tisdale, breached security in Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, N.C., sneaked into the wheel well of a Boeing 737 heading for Boston, died mid-route, and fell from the plane when the wheel well opened prior to landing.

It’s a tragic story on many levels, but I want to focus on what this incident reveals about airport security. Investigators don’t know for certain, but it seems unlikely Tisdale would have passed through passenger security in the terminal. Rather, he would have accessed the tarmac directly, either fooling his way though a security screening or circumventing it somehow.

Thing is, the screening procedure for tarmac workers is much different from what happens in the terminal. Namely: There’s no screening at all.

So how are these workers screened? After a fingerprinting, a 10-year background check, and a terrorist watchlist cross-check, they are given an I.D. card they swipe before passing through a turnstile. Random physical screenings are performed. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work.

“All I need is my Port Authority ID,” a JFK apron worker tells Smith, “which I swipe through a turnstile. The ‘sterile area’ door is not watched over by any hired security or by TSA. I have worked at JFK for more than three years now and I have yet to be randomly searched.”

Of course, terrorists have yet to exploit this security loophole, meaning the policy could be sufficient. Still, many are wondering how, as airport security up in the terminal tightens, a 16-year-old was able to stowaway on an aircraft.

“If that was someone with a different motive, if that was a terrorist, that could be a bomb planted on there undetected,” Norfolk, Massachusetts, District Attorney William Keating told the Associated Press. “We feel it’s important to inform federal transportation safety officials that it appears more likely than not that Mr. Tisdale was able to breach airport security and hide in the wheel well of a commercial jet liner without being detected by airport security personnel.”

Investigators have been working in Charlotte to determine how Tisdale made it to the 737, though no details have been made available yet. It’s fair to assume that if the resulting report reveals easily exploited gaps in tarmac security, changes will follow, and fast.

Trending on Smarter Travel

SmarterTravel.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. SmarterTravel.com also participates in the SkimLinks and SkimWords affiliate programs.